July 2 (CT) Sunday's issue of Ceylon Today reported that the Ministry of Culture and Arts had sought the opinion of the Attorney General on a code of ethics for politicians. That is indeed refreshing news, but a word of caution on our part – please don't hold your breath. We ourselves have reservations whether this hefty idea of Cultural Minister, T.B. Ekanayake, will ever see the light of day. However, that uncertainty should not discount the merits of the code of ethics for politicians. more..

July 2 (CT) As well as being a diplomat, Dr Jayatilleka has been an urban guerrilla, political activist, active politician and academic political scientist. His book on the political thought of Fidel Castro was published by Pluto Press. His latest book brings much inside knowledge to a detailed narrative of Sri Lanka’s war and links it to issues of global significance. Other reviewers have drawn out a particular emphasis on the ethics of violence and the concept of a just war. more..

July 2 (Island) The Supreme Court on June 25 delivered a landmark Judgment in favour of the Hatton National Bank (HNB) against Kiran Atapattu and Judy de Silva, carrying on business in partnership under the name ‘Soul Entertainments’. The Supreme Court set aside an arbitral award of December 2003 in favour of Soul Entertainments and a corresponding High Court Judgment that affirmed that award and refused to set it aside. The dispute between the parties arose from more..

July 2 (Island) Moneragala High Court Judge Gihan Kulatunga handed down the death sentence to five persons convicted of committing a murder in 2002. Those convited were R.K.D. Piyadasa of 3rd Mile Post, Kotabowa, Bibile, K.D. John of Ikiriyanpollanda in Medagama, Mohamed Niyaz of Kathaluwala, Medagama, R.K.D. Sugathadasa and Upul Kumara of Kalugahawadiya, Medagama. They were found guilty of abducting and murdering Mahinda Nishshanka of Kalugahawadiya, Medagama more..

July 2 (CT) “Local leaders stated that many Tamils want a change and were frustrated with a string of broken promises. According to the Catholic Bishop in Batticaloa (protect), the TMVP disarmed with the hope that its members would get jobs, but this has not happened. Provincial Council promises of development and employment have fallen short. The central govt promise of devolution of power to the Eastern Province under more..

July 2 (PTI) A Sri Lankan court today ordered release of 24 Indian fishermen, arrested by the Island Navy last month when they were fishing near Katchatheevu. As many as 49 fishermen were arrested with their 10 mechanised boats by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel on June 5. While 24 fishermen from here were released today, the remaining would be produced before the court on July 4, president of Pamban Innocent Fishermen Organisation U Arulanandam said. more..

July 2 (LBO) Stocks closed up 0.13% on Tuesday making gains for the third straight day helped by diversified and consumer companies, brokers said. All Share Index closed 08.04 points higher at 6,140.79 and the S&P SL 20 Index closed 14.77 points higher at 3,462.51 up 0.43%. Turnover was 472 million rupees down from 562 million from a day earlier. Foreigners brought 133 million rupees worth shares while selling 142 million rupees in a day that 92 stocks advanced and 80 stocks declined. more..

July 2 (Island) Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera questioned as to why he has not been removed from his post if his actions as treasury secretary were questionable. He said that even though it is a complicated process to remove a Minister from his post it was not so to remove a public servant from a post. He pointed out that public officials work under the govt and they did not work in an environment in which they can more..

July 2 (Reuters) Fitch Ratings has assigned Sri Lanka-based National Development Bank (NDB) Long-term Foreign- and Local-Currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) of 'B+' with Stable Outlooks. Fitch has also assigned NDB a 'b+' Viability Rating (VR), a Support Rating (SR) of '4', and Support Rating Floor (SRF) of 'B'. NDB's LT IDR reflects its standalone risk profile and satisfactory track record as a project financing institution with historically stronger capitalisation, more..

July 2 (GDI) Mega holiday bungalow and a welfare complex dedicated to the services of Saliyapura Gajaba Regiment (GR) war heroes were declared open on Monday by Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary to Ministry of Defence and Urban Development in the company of General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Army. These two places of vital importance came about in light with the government priorities welfare programmes on behalf of war heroes serving every corner of the Island. more..

July 2 (PTI) Ahead of Lankan envoy Basil Rajapaksa's visit to New Delhi to discuss the controversial plan on devolution, a Lankan nationalist group today asked India to respect the sovereignty of the island nation. Several hundreds of Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) activists, mainly Buddhist monks, staged a walk to the Indian High Commission here under a banner saying "India, do not touch Sri Lanka's sovereignty". more..

July 2 (CT) Parts of a skeleton including a skull and fragments of bone were found parcelled in a roadside drain on Sri Vihara Mawatha, Kohuwala today, Police Media Spokespersons SSP Buddhika Siriwardena told Ceylon Today Online. A skull and fragments of a bone where discovered by Urban Council workers of a Dengue eradication program at 11:45 a.m. and was reported to the Kohuwela Police. SSP Siriwardena said that the bone fragments exposed were not fresh. more..

July 2 (SLN) As part of its social responsibility projects, the Sri Lanka Navy renovated the St. Peter and Paul Church at Katunayake. The meritorious act was carried out by the Navy’s civil engineering personnel with the financial assistance from the Sri Lanka Naval Social Responsibility Fund. Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage and Navy Seva Vanitha Unit President, Mrs. Srima Colombage participated in the 143rd annual feast officiated by Parish Priest, more..

July 2 (Island) With the risk of landslides increasing dramatically, mainly due to human activity during the recent past, the National Building Research Organization (NBRO) yesterday said that it would not allow any further construction of buildings in landslide prone areas. With the beginning of each monsoon period, a number of landslide incidents and earth slips are reported from many areas around the country. more..

July 2 (LT) The Parliamentary Select Committee will meet on the 9th whether representatives of the opposition in Parliament participate or not says Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. Minister Siripala de Silva is the President of the PSC while 18 Members from the govt have been named for it. The govt appointed a Parliamentary Select Committee regarding the crisis that has come up regarding the 13th amendment and the govt representatives for the PSC were named on the 21st of more..

July 2 (MoD) Making history in the annals of local sports, a T20 over Cricket Match was held between Sri Lanka's Northern and Eastern Province Combined Team Vs Melbourne's Ferntree Gully District Cricket Association & Australian Hellenic Federation Combined Cricket Team recently. The match was played at the Kilinochchi Central College playground. The Kilinochchi Central College play ground was packed to capacity with school children, sports enthusiast and the general public who more..

July 2 (DM) Sri Lanka Cricket issuing another statement said Sri Lanka A Team cricketer Ramith Rambukwella had mistakenly tried to open one of the cabin doors of the British Airways aircraft, thinking it was the door to the toilet. The full statement: Further to the earlier media release on the above subject, Team Manager Jayantha Seneviratne submitted a report to the CEO on the above incident. According to the report, more..

July 2 (CG) A joint opposition with a common agenda is to take center stage in August following an agreement reached among some opposition political parties, the UNP said. UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said that the need for a joint opposition with one goal was felt during a meeting held between opposition party leaders yesterday. He said that accordingly it was agreed that the joint opposition will come together on one stage from August to draw focus to several more..

July 2 (Island) An extra dose of anti-measles vaccine has been ordered, for all infants, following the the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry discovering an increasing number of measles cases since January to date. Increased transmission of measles cases were observed among infants between six and 12 months of age. The Health Ministry, in coordination with respective MOHs, had been conducting a special measles campaign to vaccinate infants born from July 06, 2012 to more..

July 2 (CT) Minister S.B. Dissanayake today stated that action will be taken against private buses which provide transport for undergraduates who are due to protest in Colombo tomorrow. The Minister stated that he has requested the police and Private Transport Minister C.B. Rathnayake to advice bus owners against transporting students who plan to agitate in Colombo today. The police will take immediate action more..

July 2 (DM) The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) in its endeavour to develop an efficient and effective capital market has organized “Investment Day 2013” at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre on July 6 (from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.) under the auspices of Minister Basil Rajapaksa. The aim of this event is to provide knowledge and guidance on investing in the capital market and thereby create a shareholding democracy in the country. more..

July 2 (CG) Three illegal workers from Sri Lanka have been arrested following a raid on a garage in Sittingbourne, Kent in England. Acting on intelligence, officers visited the BP petrol station where they questioned individuals to check if they had the right to be in the UK. They arrested two men aged 22 and 33 at the garage and a 30-year-old man at an address on High Street, Milton Regis, used for staff accommodation. All three were found to be working in breach of their visa more..

July 2 (CG) The British Foreign Office has warned visitors to Sri Lanka to be mindful of organised and armed gangs known to operate in Sri Lanka who have been responsible for targeted kidnappings and violence. The Foreign office says while violent crimes against foreigners are infrequent, there have been an increasing number of reports of sexual offences including on minors. It also says women should take particular care more..

July 3 (NS) Contemporary Sri Lanka politics has become a gigantic swindle perpetrated by many of the people, elected by most of the people and supposedly for all the people. But they are anything but for the people who are beginning to recognize the bitter reality that many of those chosen representatives run the country only with their own interests at heart. So, the average Sri Lankan is constrained to live on air while the politicos by all appearances appear to waltz on it. more..

July 3 (NS) Reconciliation is a word abundantly used, but misunderstood in many circles. Most records indicate that a fourth century etymological development hails from a Latin root word reconciliâre, to bring together again, from re + conciliâre, to make friendly or become friendly with someone who has been estranged or to re-establish friendly relations between parties, to settle a quarrel or difference, to make (two apparently conflicting things) compatible or consistent with more..

July 3 (SO) The Department of Motor Traffic, popularly known as RMV (Registration of Motor Vehicles) is the sole body responsible for the registration of motor vehicles and issuance of driving licence in Sri Lanka. Like many other government departments that deal with public registration work this too has a long standing reputation of involving in malpractices such as forging documents and soliciting bribes to issue a licence. more..

July 3 (SL) The British Commonwealth is a political organisation which we have tried hard to comprehend, but failed despite even seeking the assistance from learned diplomats. Technically, today it can be defined as an intergovernmental organisation comprising 54 countries who are former members of the British Empire sans its recent members, Rwanda and Mozambique. We searched for definitions of the ‘Commonwealth’ and the one that came closest to our liking was more..

July 3 (CT) The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front, the political party popularly known by its acronym, EPRLF, has been observing the 23rd anniversary of its Martyrs' Day throughout the North and East in the past few days. On 19 June 1990, founder of the EPRLF, K. Pathmanabha, along with 13 of his senior cadres, some of them ministers and members of the EPRLF-led Provincial Council, were murdered in broad daylight in Chennai by the LTTE. more..

July 3 (NS) A visit to India by a delegation of TNA prompted the Indian govt to issue a statement on the dilution of the 13th Amendment. But behind the diplomatic rhetoric lies a bone of contention not to be taken lightly according to TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran. Excerpts of the interview. Q. Did your recent visit to India have anything to do with the govt tampering with the 13 Amendment? A: Our visit to India was particularly for this reason. more..

July 3 (CT) The Sinhala hardliners within and outside the administration and state structure would have us believe that the Northern Provincial Council is a zero sum game; that a win for the TNA is a loss for the rest of us. There is certainly a risk– what with the moderate Mr Sumanthiran slipping ‘internal self determination’ into his recent article in The Hindu, as if the subcontinent doesn’t recognise the code word, however qualified. However, the game is multiple-sum. From the vital perspective of political more..

July 3 (CT) Since the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka Peace accord, there was reluctance to implement the 13th Amendment as it was unacceptable to the ruling Sinhalese politicians. On the other hand, it was felt that neutralizing the 13th Amendment would be a monstrous justice to the Tamils paving way for the creation of the essence of inequality to be embedded to the constitution. The issue is whether Sri Lanka can wipe out the 13th Amendment and if so, what will the reaction of India. more..

July 3 (CT) In the West we are known as a short, fat, black and ugly nation. Now we have lost our dignity, pride, self-respect, spines, ethics and morals. What are we left with? Nothing! What a nation we have become! A ‘nothing nation’! Indeed our country is beautiful. The world admires its natural splendour, magnanimity and hospitality of at least some of its people. We have a glorious history to talk about and be proud of. more..

July 3 (Island) A dramatic surge in sectarian violence has recently left 41 dead in Iraq. According to international media reports based on UN data, more than 2,500 people have been killed and about 6,000 injured in attacks during the past three months alone. With the latest bombing, the number of suicide strikes has exceeded 1, 700 since 2003. Iraq has been hurtling down a spiral of violence with no end in sight. The US military campaign to engineer a regime change by ousting Saddam Hussein’s more..

July 3 (Island) During the last few weeks in these columns we argued that the Indo Lanka Accord is now defunct due to the failure of India to fulfill its obligations under the accord. Also we have argued that the thirteenth amendment is not law of the country and that there is no barrier to abolish the provincial councils. If a referendum was held without submitting bills to the Parliament to determine the wish of the people there is no doubt whatsoever that the people would approve the termination of more..

July 3 (Island) CEAT Kelani Holdings has commissioned three new curing presses at its radial tyre plant in Kelaniya, increasing capacity by 30% to meet growing demand in the domestic and export markets. This latest phase of expansion of capacity of the radial tyre plant, the third since its inception, involved an investment of Rs. 400 million, taking CEAT Kelani’s cumulative investment in radial tyre manufacture in Sri Lanka to Rs. 850 million, the company said. more..

July 3 (Island) The WSA Global Congress 2013 will be held in Colombo from October 23 to 26, 2013. Hosted by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), the global event will be a fast-paced three-day conference featuring 40 outstanding application developers, more than 60 high-profile speakers and attracting up to 1,000 international delegates. The conference’s objective is to present the most creative mobile and web applications from all over the world more..

July 3 (FT) The Central Bank of Sri Lanka in a statement, expressed the view that the latest move by Moody’s of changing the outlook on Sri Lanka’s B1 foreign currency sovereign rating from ‘Positive’ to ‘Stable’, is ill-advised and backward looking, and is not a proper reflection of the external position and the recent improvements in the Sri Lanka economy. The underlying rationale for the latest rating stance is described by more..

July 3 (FT) The final session of the Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2013 under the theme ‘Re-balancing the Economy’ will bring together for-mer and present Parliamentarians representing different parties in power to express their views on how best to address the issues brought out at the previous sessions and other important current issues and discuss the way forward. The panel discussion will be moderated by Copyline Group and APEX Services Chairman Mano Tittawala. more..